Elevated railway



J. B. sTHAuss. ELEMATED RAILWAY.

APPUCATION FILED JAN. 19 |917. 1,427,920. PatentedSept.551922 4 EEEEE s- EEEEE A )W AOA/Oy AAVAVA/AvAvAv/V/WA 4 SHEETS-SHEET z.

PatentedSept. 5, 1922.4

J'. B. STRAUSS. ELI-.' VATED RAILWAY. APPLICATION EILED JAN. 19. 19.17.

1 B. STRAUSS. ELVATED RAILWAY. APPLICATION FILED JAN. I9, 1917.

Patentedspt. 5, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3 J. B. STRAUSS.

ELEVATED RAILWAY'. i APPLICATION man JANQ'IQ. 1911. 1,427,920. Patenasept. 5, 1922.

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42 Z7 ze /6 /5` e5 Patented Sept. 5, 1922.

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.application inea January yie; 191?. y sei-iaiy iva-143,219.

To all` whomy t may cof/wem Be it known thatl, JOSEPH B. S'rnAUss,

a citizen of the United States, residing at- Chicago, in the county ofv Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain newy and;`

useful improvement in Elevated Railways, of which the followingis a specilication.

This invention relates to elevated rail-- ways and has for lts object to provide a new and improved device offthis description which shall be .comparatively cheapto con-` struct, efficient and safe in operation. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereini Fig. 1 is a side view of a portion of the elevated structure. 1

Fig, 2 is an enlargedl sectional view taken Referring now to the drawings, l have, shown an elevated structure made up of ay series of central posts or supports '1 spaced at suitable intervals. Mounted uponthese supports are a series of longitudinal main carrying members 2, 3 and These main carrying members may be trusses' or beams or any other construction (see Figs. 1 and 2). in the construction shown, there is a central main carrying member and rtwo side main carrying members, Aone on eachy side of the central member. The central member is supported upon the central sup port and the side members are connected,`

therewith in any desired manner soy as yto also be supported thereby.l

1n Fig. 2, there is shown'a structurefor carrying two tracks. A; series of cross-over supports 5 are suitably spacediapart-iand. are supported upon the central supports and the beams 6,said beams beingsupported upon the'braces 7 connectedwith the cen-,fr tralsupports. rlhe cross supports are cane tilevered beyond the beams and the inner rails 8 are carried onthecantilevered ends,

there being preferably longitudinal `sleepers 9 between the rails and the cross supports. Thek outer railsplO are supported on `the cross supports 1l Lcarriedby the youter carry-` 60' ing members 3 and 4. These cross supports preferably restupo'nthe lower members 1Q of. the :main carryingmembers 8 and 4 andare cantilevered beyond saidmembers, the rails lO'kbeing .supported upon the cantilevered 65.

ends, .sleepers 9 beinginterposed between therailsv and the cross supports. The outer ends ofthe cross supports 11 are connected` by the inclinedmembers 13 with the upper portionof. thev members 3 and 4. It will 70 thus vbe seen that there is an open space kbetween thefrailsS and .10 for the connection -between lthe cars 14 and the trucks l5 which runy upon said rails'. The upper portion of the cars ypreferably project into the struc- 7 5 ture, asshown nl* 1g. r2, and is connected to the truck by connection 15":` Each' car, isy preferably -provided with a kmotor 16 which maybe mounted'upon `the truck, as

shown: :Therefis also a safety device 17 80' connected with the car and having mem-1 bers 1S whichv project overv thek rails but l which are ordinarily out of contact therewith, so that 1f they normal connection between thecar and thev truck fails, this safety 8,5.

device `will engagethe rails and keep the carffrom falling. There is preferably arranged a platform* 19 placed on a level with the bottom ofv the door of the car and eX- ti-inding between the two cars so that if anything happens to cause the carsto stop bef4 tween stations, passengers canget out on this platform andwalk to the nent station.` This platformy is supported upon a'flongi.

tudinal support 2O which also acts as a 95,

hand rail` and .divides the platform into two sections, one for each track. *This platform is `also preferably provided on keach side with engaging devices 21 which engage the sides ofthecars so as to properly guide he cars and prevent them from swinging.

. rlhere arek suitable `platforms 22 and 23 at the stations and on the outside 'ofthe cars 11i-,tand these platforms andthe platform between the cars are arranged so `that the passengers may "be Aloaded into each car from one platform and unloaded on to the other plaHfcrmy there being a platform on eachside of each car. These'platforms are preferably on a level yor. fiush with the car floor. Some means is provided to permit the trucks olf the cars to be easily placed in position on the track or removed therefrom. As shown, this result is secured by arranging some oi' the cross supports ll at suitable intervals so that theyv can be moved laterally, as shown in .F ig. In this figure the pieces 13 are pivoted at 13 to the cross support and at 13b to the main carrying member, and there are rollers ll arranged to engage the lianges ot the cross supports so that they may be moved laterally about the positionshown in dotted lines in Fig. r3, thus moving t-he rail 10 so as to increase the space between the rails l() and 8 a sutticifent amount .to permit the truck to 'be' moved or inserted. in Fig. T l have shown a modified construction kwhere there is a space to be used for three tracks. This construction may be similar to that shown in Fig. 2 with the addition at the top of a series of vertical members 24 which carry cantilever cross supports Qfcarrying the rails "26 'tor the third track. The vertical members are connected together at the top by the connecting piece 27.

above the wheels to act as guides tor the flanges oit the wheels, the flanges thereby being guided at the bottom lby the rails 26 and at the .top by the. guides 28. Suitable cross-overs are arranged at suitable intervals so that a car 'may be transferred from one track to the other. @ne form of this crossover is shown in Figs, 4, 5 and 6. In this construction a .switch track is provided extending rom the track ot one side to the trac-k on the other and comprising rails 30 'vandBl preferably iXed. i bridging member is provided pivoted at one end on the :pivot and having mounted upon it `the two railsections 3d and 35 (see Figs. 5 and 6). The bridging member 32has connected therewith an arm 36 provided with the cross piece 3? carrying the rollers 88, which rollers engage the iiange of an arc-shaped support 39. It will thus be seen that the ends orf the rail sections 134-. and 35 may be moved by moving the arm 3G. By moving this arm to one position the section connects with the rail 30 and with the rail section 410 (see Fig. ll) so that the truck may be transferred from the track at one side to the track at the other side. The rail 31 connects with the rail 8 4and by moving the arm 36 in kthe other direction the rail section 3d is moved to connect with the section 41. The sections il() and 4l will also move and when in this position the section Lil is moved up against the section 8 so that there is a clear through track, the crossover being then disconnected. It will be seen that by means of this construction the section-s -o'it the track of the cross-over may be moved to make the proper connec- I also prefer to provide 4guides E28 on all the lstructures tion and at the same time there is an open space ior the passage ot the car hanger So that the car may be easily moved from one track to the other.

ln the construction illustrated the motors are electric motors and there are conductors a2 extending along the structure, the motors being connected in circuit with the sliding shoes 41:3 slidably engaging the conductors.

in order to deaden the sound, sounddeadening material is placed between the cross supports which carry the rails and the members carrying said cross supports, shown at 1Q, Fig. 3,

l claim:

l. A. railway structure comprising a series of central supports, a series of central main carrying members connecting said central supports and bracing them, a side main carrying member on each Side of said centr.. member, cross members connecting said side main carrying members with said supports, rails supported between the main ca 'n0' members, cross supports at intervals under said rails, some oi said cross supports projecting through the 'side main carrying members, and connecting members connecting the outer ends ot said cross supports with said `main carrying members.

Q. A.. railway structure comprising a series ot central supports, a series ot central main carrying members connecting said central supports and bracing them, a side main carrying member on each side of said central member, cross members connecting` said side main carrying members with said supports, aile supported between the main carrying members, cross supports at intervals under said rails, some ot said cross support 'projectin through the side main carrying members, means tor transferring the stresses, due to the load on the rails, from the .nside ot said side main carrying members to the outside thereoiliand then back to taid main carrying members.

- E. Arailway structure comprising a series out central supports, three main carrying members, one. central with said supports, cantilevcred members connecting ywith and supporting `the other two .main members, cross suppm'ts projecting `lauter-ally on each side ot the central main members toward the outer main members, cross supports connected with the outer main members and projecting toward the central main member and means connected with the ends ot said cross members for carrying the rails so as to :leave 'an opening space between said rails.

4. A. railway structure comprising a series of central supports, three main carrying members., one central with said supports/ y canti-levered members connecting with and supporting the other two main members,`

cross supports projecting laterally on each side ot the `central main members toward the outer main members, cross supports connected with the outer main members and projecting toward the central main member and means connected with the ends of said cross members for carrying the rails so as to leave an open space between said rails, sound-deadening material located intermediate said cross supports and the members carrying them.

5. A railway structure comprisingy a plurality of main carrying members two ofr members, cars mounted to travel alongv said tracks and longitudinal guides for said cars located below the central main member, supports for said guides and a foot-walk on said guides.

7. A railway structure comprising three longitudinal main vcarrying members substantially parallel to each other, supports for one of said main carrying members at intervals, the other main carrying members being connected with saidy supports so as to besupportedthereby, two open ways between said mam carrying members, rails within said open ways and supporting means for supporting said rails in position.

8. A railway structure comprising three longitudinal main carrying members, tracks :tor cars between the outer members and the central member, and single supporting posts in the plane of the central member and located at intervals therealong.

9. A railway structure comprising `longitudinal main carrying members, two outer members and a central member, an open way between said main carrying members, rails mounted within said open way and eccentric with respect to said main carrying members and means for transmitting the load on the rails of the outer carrying members, to the central carrying member and supports for said central carrying member.

10. An elevated structure comprising longitudinal main carrying members, an open space betwen said main carrying members, cross supports having their ends projecting part way across said open space, rails mounted upon said cross supports,some oi" said cross supports movably supported in position softhat they may be moved to move the rail to increase the distance between 'they rails of the track to permit the wheels of the car to be disconnected from the track. 11. An elevated structure comprising longitudinal mainy carryingk members with an open space between them, rails located in said open space to form a track and supported by said main carryingl members, and means at intervals along the track for moving oney of the rails laterally to lincrease the distance between the rails and to permit the wheels of the car to be lowered between said rails. l

12. Ank elevated structure -comprising two tracks each comprising two sets of rails, trucksk mounted on said tracks, cars suspended from said'trucks, the roof of each car formed by inclined meeting sections the portion of the car at the point where said sections meet projecting into the space between said rails.

13." An elevated railway comprising three pairs of rails, cantilevered cross supports carrying said rails, main carrying members carrying said cross supports, two pairs of said vrails located below the tops of said main carrying members, and one pair of said rails located above lthe tops of said main carrying members.

14. An elevated railway comprising three pairs of rails,'an open space between each pair of rails, trucks on each pair of rails, cars connected to said trucks, the connection between the cars and the trucks passing between the rails, onek air of rails being located in a horizontal p ane above the other two pairs'of rails.

15. An elevated railwaycomprising two overhead tracks, trucks mounted on said tracks, cars suspended upon said trucks, and

located below said tracks, loading and un* loading platforms below said tracks and flush with the car floor, one of said platforms located between the cars of the two ktracks and supported by the same support that supports said tracks, the' other platforms located at the outer sides of said cars. 16. An elevated railway comprising three parallel platforms separated by two open spaces for the passage of the cars, main carrying members above said platforms, one of said platforms supported by said main carrying members, overhead tracks supported by said main carrying members above said platforms, trucksy mounted on said tracks andy connections between said trucks and said cars, said cars located below said tracks.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in the Vpresence of two witnesses this y17th day oi' January, 1917.

` f JOSEPH BSTRAUSS. n Witnesses:

JOHN SPARKS, WILMo'r C. HAwKINs. 

